Passport Nerds!!

We want to collect Passport stamps!!! We've taken several cruises (Med, British Isles, Rhine River, Panama Canal, getting ready to do the Baltic this summer) where we've ended up visiting many countries, but because the ship keeps our passports we don't get our passports stamped. Traveling between European Union countries gets no stamps either, unless you fly home from one of them.:mad:

Anyone know any tricks/suggestions on how we can get some official stamps in our Passports, or on some other document, so we have something to show the grandchildren in the future?

Thanks

Good luck to any passport stamp collecter, as a kid on T.V. you would see a passport with a lot of stamps and think wow some day. Now the whole thing makes no sense we have been to many places in Europe and most are not stamped and the one that is stamped the most (Germany because of the flights) we have only been to once. The same goes for exotic places ,Turkey no stamp Croatia(I know not that exotic) again no stamp. There are a few that do stamp everyone like Russia and I am sure there are others. I do not collect stamps I like coins from every country and that has also become pointless because of the Euro although ther are still some fun coins to collect. B.T.W The national parks have a great system for stamps most people buy the guide which has four blank pages two in front and two in back and get them stamped in each park.

I picked up 4 on a recent trip to London and Paris. Entry stamp from UK upon arrival at LHR. Entry stamp from France before getting on Eurostar at St. Pancras in London. Exit stamp from France before getting on Eurostar at Gare de Nord. [Another] Entry stamp from UK before getting on Eurotstar at Gare de Nord. No stamp upon entry back in the USA. (this is all on a US Passport).

Plenty of places stamp. But usually, it's more for arrivals via air. As noted, intra-Schengen travel probably won't net a stamp. Also, if you want something "fancy", travel to places where you need a visa.

Visit places where you need a visa. You definitely get stamps then. One when you enter and another when you exit. :D whether you cross by air or land border they stamp it.

We are currently running out of pages in our passports. Some countries require two face to face pages, so not so eager to get stamps. Also, when entering the U.S. two years ago, an immigration agent was very grumpy about asking why we had so many stamps in our passports. When I explained that we were cruising, he made some sort of comment about why we were not in the U.S. Just a grumpy guy!

On my previous passport I never got a stamp :o. On my current passport the only stamp I got was entry into the US, at San Francisco - 90 miles from home. With the high expense, I probably won't get back to Europe.

I have heard. . . . That if you ask Guest Services while on the cruise, before docking, that they can have Customs stamp your passport when they check the ship in port.

On a Baltic cruise I got a stamp landing in the UK, one in Rostock, two in Russia and one upon returning to the US but that was back in 2005. Last cruise (Caribbean) - nothing!

It will be interesting to see what stamps I acquire on my next cruise.

Our ship holds our passports but in many ports they are stamped.

Keith

When we did land vacations through Europe, we got many stamps.

But once we started to cruise, we now have more Visa stamps than regular stamps.

A minor (very minor) caution to those of you that travel a lot and like to collect stamps. There are a few countries that require a completely empty page to attach a visa. We had a situation on where we needed two complete empty pages for a visa. We didn't have two completely empty pages :( There was room on a number of partially filled pages but no completely empty pages. Soooo - it was time for a new passport. We could have added pages but it was close enough to getting a new one we opted for the new one.

We want to collect Passport stamps!!! We've taken several cruises (Med, British Isles, Rhine River, Panama Canal, getting ready to do the Baltic this summer) where we've ended up visiting many countries, but because the ship keeps our passports we don't get our passports stamped. Traveling between European Union countries gets no stamps either, unless you fly home from one of them.:mad:

 

Anyone know any tricks/suggestions on how we can get some official stamps in our Passports, or on some other document, so we have something to show the grandchildren in the future?

 

Thanks

If your Baltic itinerary includes St Petersburg you will get a stamp there.

A minor (very minor) caution to those of you that travel a lot and like to collect stamps. There are a few countries that require a completely empty page to attach a visa. We had a situation on where we needed two complete empty pages for a visa. We didn't have two completely empty pages :( There was room on a number of partially filled pages but no completely empty pages. Soooo - it was time for a new passport. We could have added pages but it was close enough to getting a new one we opted for the new one.

I am about two years from renewing my passport, I only have a few stamps. My question is what happens to your old passport when you renew it, will you be able to keep it or do you have to turn it in?

I am about two years from renewing my passport, I only have a few stamps. My question is what happens to your old passport when you renew it, will you be able to keep it or do you have to turn it in?

When you renew it, you send in the old passport with your renewal form, new photo, and fee. They send you back a new passport. And return the old one. The new and old will probably arrive separately.

When you renew it, you send in the old passport with your renewal form, new photo, and fee. They send you back a new passport. And return the old one. The new and old will probably arrive separately.

Thank You

When you renew it, you send in the old passport with your renewal form, new photo, and fee. They send you back a new passport. And return the old one. The new and old will probably arrive separately.

Yes, mine was returned separately, with a hole punched in it - so no one could fraudulently use it.

You need to ask for your passport to be stamped when held onboard,Usually when passports are held an immigration crew needs to be onboard from the country/countries you are visiting.

Also ports that do not need you to go through immigration whilst on a cruise day visit usually provide a passport stamp at the port visitor centre or port post office for those who like to collect passport stamps:)

if you can't get your passport stamped; you could just buy a postage stamp and and make your own booklet of places visited.